The Next Generation
by MyForever
Summary: Voldemort has hidden Harry & Hermione Potter. And now Cassandra Potter is left without parents to work through her final year at Hogwarts, after having only known her parents for 18months. Now she needs them more then ever and she has nobody to go to. AU
1. Prologue

**The Next Generation**

**A/N: Ok, I'm determined to finish this story. I'm going to update one of my other HP ones soon and my DW one, but now my focus is on this one. I have reminders on my notice board to remind me. This is just a prologue, and the main story will pick up in Cassie's seventh year.**

At 23 years old Harry Potter had turned into a respectable man, however had the dark and mysterious past that would turn most girls off, but Harry was famous, so the girls flocked in. However, Mr Potter had ended up getting married two years previous to his best friend, Miss Hermione Jane Granger, and at this present time had a 18-month old daughter, Cassandra Lily Potter.

Now to think, you would expect that Harry, Hermione and little Cassandra were happy, but they were not. Harry had still not defeated Lord Voldemort, but only had one Horcrux – apart from Voldemort's body - left to get rid off, but he could not find it anywhere, and he hated leaving his family. Before Cassandra was born, Harry and Hermione, and occasionally Ronald Weasley and Luna Lovegood would eagerly go off to find the Horcruxes but not after Cassandra was born, Harry knew he could not take her with them, and he did not want to leave her. In fear of him not returning and never seeing his beautiful Cassie again. Now five years after he graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Voldemort was still out in the world.

On the very same night this story is being told, Voldemort had had enough of Harry just sitting around enjoying a life with his wife and daughter and his friends, so decided to pay his 'little friend' a visit, and at exactly 10pm that night Voldemort knocked on the Potter's door.

Harry knew that Voldemort would not sit around for long and he was waiting, but when that time came he knew he would not be ready. He knew he would not be ready to leave his wife and daughter. And because of what Voldemort did he didn't have to. Well he didn't have to leave his wife, but he had to leave his daughter and from where they are as this story is being told, wherever that may be, his heart is breaking, as well as his wife's just thinking about their little daughter.

For Voldemort had not tried to kill either Harry or Hermione but had put a spell on them, and the next time they opened their eyes they were sitting next to each other inside a cell and around the outside of the cell it was just black, all they had was a single candle in the middle of the cell giving off not much light at all.

Voldemort did know that little Cassandra was in the house, but in a strange show of mercy that anybody who saw him would have probably fallen to the ground dead in shock, left her in the house. Now to you, an 18-month old baby girl left in a house on her own, may not to you, sound like a show of mercy from a man, but this was Voldemort. The most cruel being on the planet, and that is the best thing that could ever have happened to Cassandra. He let her be and did not harm her.

However, Voldemort wasn't that clever that night, he wasn't in his right state of mind, because he put the Dark Mark above the Potter's house which meant Auror's and the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor Minerva McGonagall were alerted and went straight to the house. Whereupon Minerva found little Cassandra and did the best thing she could.

She gave her to Petunia Dursley. If you've heard the story of Harry Potter, which many of you probably have, you probably know, that when Albus Dumbledore left little Harry on the Dursley's doorstep Minerva tried to protest, but but tonight Minerva had nothing else she could do. At least on this occasion she gave Miss Petunia the choice of taking Cassandra in or not. And, after a long argument where Minerva considered just walking straight back out of the front door, Petunia managed to persuade her husband Vernon to take in little Cassandra and they did. But not before a stern lecture from Minerva about how they were not, repeat not, to treat Cassandra how they had treated Harry. And after seeing the scale of anger on the Headmistress' face the two old Dursley's both proceeded to swear on their lives that they would not mistreat Cassandra.

The wizarding world lay in mourning for the next two years until Cassandra was near four years of age, when Minerva came to check up on her. That's when Cassandra proceeded to tell Minerva – or Minnie as she called her – of what she had seen the night that Voldemort had appeared. Minerva after casting Legilmens on the child was shocked at how she could remember something like that but went to tell the Ministry not long after.

So then started the nationwide search for Harry and Hermione Potter. Whereupon they were not found. Days turned into months, months turned into years, until it was Cassandra's eleventh birthday and by this time she was making sure everybody called her Cassie.

On her eleventh birthday Cassie received a letter informing her that she had been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Cassie had not grown up living with magic, but she had known about it. True to their word Petunia and Vernon had treated Cassie like she was their own child and had told them about her parents, Harry and the little they knew about Hermione. Petunia even managed to tell her about her grandparents, Lily and James. They had told her what they knew about magic, and her Father's cousin, Dudley had even told her a few stories as well. So the letter was not unexpected, and Cassie had replied as fast as she could.

Not long after Minerva had come to take Cassie, Petunia and Vernon (Petunia and Vernon only if they wished and surprisingly they did wish to) to Diagon Alley, and the Dursley's were both fascinated by the street. Minerva got all of Cassie's school supplies for her, but told Cassie that next year she would have to use her own money. Cassie had been told she had a lot, but when taken to her vault she was shocked at just how much. There sitting in a vault was all of her parents and grandparents money. But she knew she wouldn't just squander all of it. She would use it sensibly, she did not want to waste what money she had.

The day finally came and Petunia and Vernon waved Cassie off as she got onto the Hogwarts Express and set off for her new life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Where she was to become best friends with Alex Dumbledore, Joana Longbottom, Rachel Weasley and Harriet Lupin.

So that's how our story starts, with Cassie growing up to a different life that Harry led and her starting Hogwarts. Cassie's story is a long one, but a good one.

**A/N: Ok, that's the prologue. Quite long, and I'm proud about how it's worked out in narrative. Please review. If anybody can think of a better title please review and let me know it. If I pick one the next chapter will be dedicated to them. The next chapter should be up soon.**


	2. The Start of Something New

**The Next Generation**

**Chapter One: The Start of Something New**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, well apart from the stuff in my room, which does not consist of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger or the rest of the characters. I only own the ones you don't recognise.**

**A/N: Just to warn remember at the end of the last chapter, Harriet Lupin? Well, her name has been changed and it is now Emelia Lupin. This was because I wanted Cassie's best friend to have a shortened name and it meant I would be calling her Harry and it would just be confusing. So Harriet is now Emelia. **

**Also, sorry for not updating but I wanted to do well on my exams so I've concentrated on those and now I'm back with a long chapter, and this was supposed to start with her seventh year but I didn't want it to be too long so this is now the very start of her first year and the seventh year should come next chapter. Right on with the story**

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**(Please read the A/N!)**

The first of September had finally arrived, after a long two month holiday; Cassie was being dropped off by the Dursley's at Kings Cross Station. Aunt Petunia had watched her sister Lily go through the barrier so was able to inform Cassie as to how to get onto Platforms 9 and ¾ after the initial confusion and after a half hour of persuading on the drive down to the Station, Cassie had managed to get Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon to come through with her.

At the age of eleven years old, Cassie was stunned by the sheer sight of all the hustle and bustle surrounding the Hogwarts Express as parents hugged their children tightly and wished them look and promised them to write to them.

Just as the whistle on the train was blown, Cassie turned round and quickly hugged her Aunt and Uncle before promising to write using the owl, Kindred, that Minerva McGonagall had bought her when they went to Diagon Alley.

Sitting quietly in an empty compartment after finally lugging her trunk onto the luggage rack above her head, she leaned out the window as the train set off to wave her Aunt and Uncle Goodbye, before leaning back in her seat, feeling lonely and sad. However, just as she was thinking this, a girl about her age knocked on the door.

"May I sit here please? You don't mind do you?"

"Sure, please come in." Cassie replied grateful for the company.

"I'm Emelia Lupin," holding her hand out, Cassie extended hers to meet Emelia's, "but everybody calls me Mia. What's your name?"

"Potter. Cassandra Potter, but everybody calls me Cassie."

"Not related to Bond. James Bond are we?" laughing, Emelia quickly explained that she had been brought up on a little knowledge of the muggle television and films. "Wait a minute! Did you say Potter?"

"Yes, why? Did you know my parents?" Suddenly eager for information on her parents, she sat forward in her seat, so as not to miss out on anything Emelia said.

"No I didn't', I was only a baby when they disappeared, Hermione and Harry, but my parents knew them. My Father, Remus Lupin was best friends with your Father's Dad, and Mum knew your Dad. They've spoke quite a lot about them actually."

"Oh," Cassie replied, a bit disappointed that Emelia did not have any information. "Actually I think I remember Minerva mentioning your parents, when she came to visit. Your Dad teaches the Defence Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts doesn't he?"

"Yeah, Professor McGonagall persuaded him to go back to teaching when I was around seven years old; they must have finally gotten rid of the curse, because he's been there four years." Smiling at Cassie's face when she looked confused at the mention of a curse, she explained, "Well when your Mum and Dad were at school, they never had a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher or DADA for short for more than one year. The first one Professor Quirrel got killed, something about You-Know-Who, then the second one, Professor Lockhart, mad as a hatter he was, lost his memory. The third one, my Dad, well let us just say something happened at the end of his year and he ended up resigning. The fourth, Professor Moody, wasn't actually Moody, but an impostor who locked the real Moody in a chest for nine months, then the fifth, Professor Umbridge was a horrible old witch from the Ministry of Magic who refused to let the classes practice defence, and in the end your parents chased her into a herd of centaurs, and the sixth one Professor Snape was the one that murdered Dumbledore before doing a runner. Dad never did tell me what happened to the seventh though."

"Oh, your Dad was brave taking the job back on then."

"Yeah, I said that too when he told me, but he said Professor McGonagall was being really kind offering him a job in the first place, so he decided to take the job as long as he had some sort of protection, but so far nothing bad as happened."

"Anything off the trolley dears?" enquired the sweet-trolley lady, at the door. Jumping out of their seats, the two friends brought out their money and bought nearly everything off the trolley. The rest of the journey to Hogwarts was taken up eating the remainder of the sweets, only interrupted when a prefect came to tell them it was time to get changed into their robes.

Getting off the train a few hours later, when the sky had already turned dark, and the moon was smiling at them and the stars twinkling, they heard the sound of "Firs' years over 'ere. Firs' years this way" and looked over at the voice, and their stood the biggest man the two of them had ever seen.

"He's gotta be a giant." Mia whispered to Cassie.

"Or half, he's not as tall as a giant I don't think."

Huddling round the giant or half-giant (they where still not sure), Cassie shivered in the cool night air, hoping it would not be long before they got to the castle. Following the giant who had told them he was called Hagrid, they all reached a little dock where around a hundred boats were residing. After Hagrid had told them to get in a boat of four, Cassie and Mia got into the boat, followed closely by a girl with long ginger hair, and another with short blonde hair. After quick introductions were made, Cassie found out that the ginger girl was Rachel Weasley, and the blonde-haired girl, Joana Longbottom.

Following Hagrid's boat in the lead, they all steered their boats and when Hogwart's came into view, a collective gasp was heard. Hogwarts was magnificent. Even Mia who had visited Hogwarts before could not take in the sheer beauty of the castle, especially not at night, and especially not from the beauty of the lake.

Upon reaching the castle, Hagrid left them at the top of the stone steps to go into the Great Hall whereupon, Professor McGonagall came out to inform the of how the houses were like their families while they resided inside the castle's four walls.

Leading, the shy timid first years into the Great Hall, Minerva McGonagall smiled when she heard the gasp of the students behind her as they saw the ceiling above them. She always loved to hear that. Reaching the teacher's table, she lined the first years up, placed the three-legged stool in front of her and placed the Sorting Hat upon it.

"When I call your name, you will place the Sorting Hat upon your head, and wait for a house to be called. You shall then go and sit with your House table."

"Ainsley, Penny."

A very small girl, with long brown hair walked shyly forwards and sat with the hat on her head for a whole minute, before the Hat shouted out:

"HUFFLEPUFF"

The Sorting went on quite this way until a boy's name was called:

"Dumbledore, Alex."

The whole hall hushed when they heard Alex's surname and the Hall went eerily silent, as they all watched with bated breath, as a brown haired tall boy stepped forward and placed the hat upon his head. The Hat had been there for about fifteen seconds before it shouted out:

"GRYFFINDOR"

The hall erupted with applause and cheers mostly from the Gryffindor side of the room. And so it went on until:

"Lupin, Emelia"

10 seconds later, "GRYFFINDOR"

Still it went on until finally after all the time:

"Potter, Cassandra"

Again, the hall went silent, and again the students sat with bated breath to hear the outcome, even the teachers seemed to have stopped breathing, Professor Lupin was holding his hands together so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

_Well, well, well whom do we have here? Another Potter eh? I've had the fair share of Potter's, your Grandfather was a menace, and your Father was a troublemaker, but you seem a little different, apart from you being a girl that is. Nevertheless, where to put you? Your Grandparents were Gryffindors and so were your parents, but your Mother would have done well in Ravenclaw as well, and your Father would have done brilliantly in Slytherin. Moreover, you here Cassandra seem to have traits of each house, so where do I put you? Well, I see where your hearts wants to go, and who am I to disrupt a hearts desire, you shall go to:_

"GRYFFINDOR."

Happily, Cassie pulled the Sorting Hat off her head, handed it back to Professor McGonagall who had a smile on her face and nearly ran to the Gryffindor table, amid cheers and applause.

After the final first year had been assorted a house (Weasley, Rachel, Gryffindor) Professor McGonagall put the hat and the three-legged stool away and stood up at the Headmistresses chair.

"I will not begin with the announcements. So welcome and let the feast begin."

Suddenly the plates in front of Cassie sprang to life full with an amazing assortment of foods, and Cassie and Mia tucked happily into everything they could see.

After a delicious desert, Professor McGonagall stood once more;

"Well, now seems the time for speech-making. Welcome to Hogwarts for those of you who are new, and welcome back to our old friends. To remind everybody, and yes Thomas, I mean everybody, the Forbidden Forest was given that name for a reason, and so the Forest is out-of bounds to everybody from first to seventh years. Also, as many of the older students among us here tonight will have already realised, we grow smaller in quantity every year, so it is nice to see so many first years. As a reminder, Voldemort-" collective gasps at the name shivered around the hall, "is still out there, so Hogsmeade visits have been changed so only fourth-years above can go, and security will be tight. Furthermore, you must be in groups of at least four. Well, I think that is all for the moment. So to bed now all of you."

And with that, there was a groan from the benches as the whole school stood up as one and started to make their way to the doors of the Great Hall. Not knowing where to go, Cassie and Mia stood there with Rachel and Joana behind them, until a tall, sturdy prefect came over to them and told them that he would be showing them to the Gryffindor Common Room.

After reaching the Common Room and using the password (Flibbertwit) the girls made themselves up the right hand staircase, and the boys up the left. Arriving in their dormitory Cassie saw she shared with Mia, Rachel and Joana, and another girl who introduced herself as Helena. Drifting off to sleep, Cassie thought that overall the day had turned out to have been a good one.

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**A/N: Please review. Constructive criticism is hugely appreciated!**


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